Spider Cave
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| Way down South, in the Land of Enchantment, Lava Tuber Gus and daughter Gen were invited to journey into the depths of the Permian karst regions, near the famous Carlsbad Caverns. Tagging along with University of New Mexico microbiologists Penny Boston and Diana Northrup, Gus & Gen joined the team, to see first hand just what an ancient coral reef looks like from the inside-out. Penny and Diana were on hand to collect exotic 'bugs' who call this bizarre place home. Spider Cave, one of the many backcountry caves surrounding the popular tourist attraction, is a secret cave, kept under lock and key by the National Park Service. A limited number of cavers are allowed in, and then only with an escort. Spider Cave, (no doubt named for the daddy-longlegs that hang out near the entrance) serves as a "control" cave for Penny and Diana's work in the near-by Lechuguilla system. We joined the team that included Diana's significant other Ken, (below right), science writer Val, her husband Andy and our official NPS escort Paul. The entrance consisted of a 'man-hole' type shaft followed by a series of tight cobbled crawl ways that opened up into a slightly larger anteroom. | ||
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